During the past few years the Seventh-day Adventist Church in certain areas has been faced with what some have called a multiple crisis. Surprising disruptions have exploded into our otherwise serene camp. From Glacier View's summit, a theological face-off has sent concentric waves of questionings circling the Adventist globe. Volleys of high-level financial difficulties followed, along with subtle attacks on Adventism's most sensitive area—the integrity of the gift of prophecy. Many, leaders and laity alike, are calling the current situation a crisis. "Perhaps," some say, "the church is experiencing her predicted omega of apostasy." Others declare, "The time of trouble such as never was is upon us, both for the world and for the church!" And yet, as important as these things are, the Seventh-day Adventist Church faces an even more significant crisis—a crisis of mission.

It was with this consciousness that some 320 representatives of the world church met in Takoma Park, Maryland, for the 1981 Annual Council last October. The council is called for the purpose of trans acting the annual business of the church, and its climax is usually the voting of the appropriations budget. This year the budget exceeded all past records with a total of $152,572,000! But the thing that made this council different was a pervading spirit of the church's mission. All the morning devotionals, presented by various world church leaders, were on the theme of "Mission." Dr. Gottfried Oosterwal, professor of world mission at Andrews University, told the representatives that by the year 2000—less than nineteen years from now—world population will probably reach 7.5 billion souls! "Today," he stated, "80 percent of the world is non-Christian; yet the church is spending 90 percent of its personnel and resources on Christian-oriented people." He forcefully pointed to the need of a new view of world mission and the challenge to reach the multiplied variety of peoples and cultures. Half of the world's population has never heard the gospel, and unless the church changes its methods, this proportion will not decrease.

A glowing red digital counter, connected to the United States Bureau of Standards computer, dominated the front of the auditorium and reminded representatives to the council of the exploding world population. Minute by minute, the digital readout portrayed the increase in world population at a rate of 141 new people per minute. Thus council representatives could see that during the eight days of the meeting 1,624,320 new persons were added to the world's population!

But the evangelistic flavor of this council was epitomized best on the final day, when the leadership of the church voted "an unprecedented worldwide soul-winning thrust, placing unquestioned priority on evangelism in all forms and at all levels." The document that spelled out the plan was entitled "Prioritizing Evangelism—One Thousand Days of Reaping." (For the complete text of the action, see page 9.) It calls for dedicating the 1,000 days preceding the 1985 General Conference session to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, to the winning of a thousand people per day for a thousand days—one million souls for Christ by June 15, 1985! General Conference .president Neal C. Wilson declared, "It is God's message believed, lived, and proclaimed that is going to make the difference in this world!" Later that morning the long-awaited annual budget was presented. Comparing it with the evangelism challenge, Elder Wilson remarked, "The budget that will be presented this morning is major, but not in comparison with this item."

In addition to dedicating the 1,000 days prior to the New Orleans General Conference session to a great program of evangelistic reaping, the plan calls for recognizing "a crucial implementation period during which each division may effect a transition to a status of giving unquestioned priority to evangelism." During this period—the eleven months between October, 1981, and September, 1982—the church around the world will be in the process of achieving at least 1,000 accessions per day. The plan will then make it possible, it is felt, for the world church to sustain this level of evangelistic success for the entire 1,000 days. "One Million New Members" by June 15, 1985, is the goal; "A Thousand a Day for One Thousand Days" is its watchword!

Is such a goal realistic? Can we actually expect success in such a bold venture?

Currently the church worldwide is gaining accessions at the rate of nearly 800 per day. As leaders on all levels give complete priority to evangelism by such means as public meetings, personal work, church growth methods, and fireside evangelism, together with total involvement of the laity and the implementation of special departmental programs, the church can move on to accomplish this goal and more. Emphasis will also be placed on territorial assignment and small group ministry.

On June 29, 1985, the first Sabbath of the New Orleans General Conference session, a special evangelistic program will feature reports from the divisions, and the church will celebrate the success that God has seen fit to give His people. But that will not mark the end of evangelism's priority! As the church looks to the future and the finishing of God's work, it will be with plans for greater successes in reaching the world with the message of salvation. Evangelism must continue to be this church's reason for existence and our personal priority as ministers and church workers.

One paragraph of the document emphasizes in particular the truth that all church leaders are in reality evangelistic leaders. They are called "to give personal and professional priority to the winning of souls ... and urging all church employees to join . . . [them] in inspiring, training, and leading all laypersons into seed-sowing, cultivating, and reaping for God's kingdom."

Some may fear that such a plan will provoke cheap decisions based on numerical goals only. This is not what is intended at all. The plan calls for "all ministers and lay leaders to increase the spiritual thoroughness of their evangelistic work so that baptismal candidates are well grounded in the principles of salvation and doctrinal truth and to train new members to labor for souls so that they may quickly join hands with the church in redemptive outreach."

Each division is to select a One Thou sand Days of Reaping director and appoint an advisory committee that will give direction to the work. As this goes to press most of the divisions of the world field have made these organizational appointments. [The author of this article has been asked by the General Conference to assume the position of world director for this evangelistic priority. Editors. ] As the process of giving priority to the central focus and mission of the church is implemented with increasing efficiency at all levels of the church, God's blessings will surely be felt, and the goal of at least one million new members will be realized. Let us unite like a mighty army in the grand work of saving souls. Let us allow God to cut short His work through us!

Is there an answer to the crisis that many see in the church today? Yes! It is the purifying, unifying force of redemptive purpose and focus in God's church! There is no crisis in God's church that a revived sense of mission cannot heal! As members and ministers unite to face the greater crisis of lost and dying souls in the night of the 1980s, all the weakness, all the illness that the church feels in some areas, will be permanently healed. As newborn Christians are then bequeathed the joy of witnessing to others, their faith will grow strong; they will become "Adventists"! This is what One Thousand Days of Reaping is all about!